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Ice Whale is a story of adventure, beauty vs. destruction in nature, and old Eskimo tradition tradition. It all started with Toozak, a young Eskimo boy who accidentally betrayed a pod of bowhead whales by telling Yankee whalers where they lived. But he also witnessed the birth of a whale, who he named Siku. This was an honor in the tribes’ tradition, the head of the Eskimo tribe, called the shaman, placed a curse on him. The curse would not be lifted until Siku saved a Toozak, or a Toozak saved Siku. Then came the story of many generations, all trying to destroy the shaman’s curse.
This is a fantastic novel. Mrs. Gorge expresses a very strong connection between a huge bowhead whale and the young boys and girls protecting it. Another aspect of this book that was enjoyable was that the point of view was shared by the whale, Siku, and the current alive protector. This is a perfect finale to Jean Craighed George’s powerful writing collection.